Tag: OSHA

Crane Company Ordered to Pay Whistleblower

A Houston mobile crane rental company was ordered to pay a former employee nearly $24,000 in back wages, interest, and damages after firing the worker in June 2020 for refusing to drive in excess of federal limits and reported fatigue, according to a November 18 announcement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The […]

Ask the Expert: Employee Access to Medical Records After Injury

In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking whether OSHA standard 1910.1020 allows employee access to medical records from all work-related injuries or just exposures resulting in illnesses from chemical or biological hazards. […]

Back to Basics: Understanding OSHA’s Emphasis Programs

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s emphasis programs. How likely are you to see a compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) show up at your workplace for an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection? The […]

OSHA Won’t Enforce Vaccine Rule While 6th Circuit Weighs Consolidated Challenges

After the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) on mandatory COVID-19 vaccines on November 4, 2021, a number of lawsuits were filed challenging the agency’s ability to enforce the rule. After the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the cases (or put them on hold), the 6th Circuit […]

OSHA Fines Wisconsin Foundry More Than $200,000

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) November 2 cited a northern Wisconsin foundry with one willful, seven serious, and five other-than-serious violations in a 51-page citing document. Waupaca Foundry of Marinette, Wisconsin, faces $200,895 in proposed penalties. Two workers suffered severe injuries this summer, and OSHA initiated three separate safety and health inspections. In […]

California Standards Board Weighing COVID-19 ETS Readoption

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) will meet November 19 to consider readoption of a revised COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS). The board approved an initial ETS in November 2020. Under California administrative law, emergency standards remain in effect for 180 days. The board may twice readopt temporary standards for an additional […]

How to Safely Manage COVID-19 Vaccination Data

Throughout the pandemic there’s been an ongoing concern about the best way to manage the process of health screenings, contact tracing, and now vaccination verification. From a health and safety officer’s perspective, having documentation is critical for space and project planning, as well as compliance and OSHA regulations. From a worker’s point of view, however, […]

Ask the Expert: Protection From Fumes When Cutting Stainless Steel

In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking whether an N95 or N99 mask protects the user from fumes when cutting stainless steel. See what the experts had to say. Q: Does an […]

OSHA Urges Employers to Emphasize Electrical Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged employers in the Midwest to emphasize electrical safety following four workplace fatalities in Kansas and Missouri. A 41-year-old in Wichita, Kansas, doing heating and air conditioning work on July 13; a 35-year-old electrical contractor climbing a pole in Lawrence, Kansas, on June 8; a 40-year-old electrical contractor […]

OSHA Vaccine, Testing ETS Indefinitely Stayed

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency rule was indefinitely stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on November 12. After issuing an initial stay on November 6, the three-judge panel reaffirmed its stay, instructing OSHA and the Department of Labor to take […]